A hydraulic cylinder is a mechanical actuator that is used to give a unidirectional force through a unidirectional stroke. Use of a hydraulic cylinder has many applications, including in construction equipment, manufacturing machinery, and civil engineering. Hydraulic cylinders get their power from pressurized hydraulic fluid, which is typically of an oil-based composition. A hydraulic cylinder consists of a cylinder barrel, in which a piston connected to a piston rod moves back and forth. The barrel is closed on one (1) end by the cylinder bottom, or cap, and the other end is enclosed by a cylinder head where the piston rod exits out of the cylinder. The piston rod has sliding rings and seals. The piston rod and sliding rings and seals assembly divides the inside of the cylinder into two (2) chambers, the bottom chamber or cap end and the piston rod side chamber. The piston rod also has mounting attachments to connect the cylinder to the object or machine component that it is pushing and pulling. A hydraulic cylinder is the actuator or “motor” side of this system. The ‘generator” side of the hydraulic system is often a hydraulic pump, which allows a regulated flow of oil to the hydraulic cylinder, thus moving the piston pushing the oil in the second chamber back to the reservoir.
When installing or replacing a hydraulic cylinder, proper alignment before and during installation into the receiving equipment is required to ensure the hydraulic cylinder remains structurally sound. If not, the hydraulic cylinder will fail and need additional replacement. A suitable solution is desired.
Various attempts have been made to solve problems found in tools to hold cylinders for installation art. Among these are found in: U.S. Pat. Nos. and U.S. Pat. App. Pub. Nos. 2005/0051441 to Lamar; U.S. Pat. No. 4,763,395 to Fontaine; U.S. Pat. No. 4,190,240 to Peterson; U.S. Pat. No. 4,444,425 to Miller, et. al.; and U.S. Pat. No. 3,363,929 to Marvin. These prior art references are representative of tools to hold cylinders for installation.
None of the above inventions and patents, taken either singly or in combination, is seen to describe the invention as claimed. Thus, a need exists for a reliable tool for small hydraulic cylinder system, and to avoid the above-mentioned problems.